A little bit of Melbourne on Melbourne Street, East Maitland
If you are familiar with the East Maitland area you might have come across a small coffee pop-up shop on Melbourne Street. Set up in a tent, Alley Cat is filled with so much character, decked out with a chandelier and all.
The owner of Alley Cat is Annabella Rossini who has been located there for two years, although she has owned the business for four. Rossini also runs the Bellarossini camper cart for various events, charities, and markets.
Rossini admits she wanted to bring “a little bit of Melbourne on Melbourne”. Using Black Drum Coffee, Alley Cat is a small business that has kept it simple with good quality coffee.
With a strong community support, this little tent had such a strong, friendly and welcoming vibe where you can drive by for a coffee on your way past or just chill out in the sun while playing a game of chess.
Rossini is also focused on empowering women and the community and aims to donate 50 cents from every coffee sold to help raise funds to provide scholarships to train young African midwives.
Rossini explains that this social enterprise is about long-term sustainability, establishing a positive footprint throughout the community.
